By Willow (willowashmaple.sbs, formerly of willowashmaple.xyz)
July 15, 2024
(Image description: Donald Trump raising his right fist while five U.S. Secret Service agents surround him to protect him, moments after Trump narrowly missed an assassin's bullet, at a MAGA rally in Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024. Photographer: Evan Vucci.)
As an artist, here's my apolitical observation detached from my own political opinions: The above image will end up in a history textbook generations from now. It has all the elements that make a great photograph and an emotionally moving work of art. The centerpiece is Donald Trump, defiantly raising his fist and appearing to shout something ("fight, fight, fight," according to a press report) into the sky. A large American flag overshadows him. Like the iconic soldiers hoisting the Star-Spangled Banner atop Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima, the Secret Service agents' motion frames the stationary Donald Trump in the middle. The framing and perspective of this picture are perfect. I'm sure someone will also make bronze sculptures inspired by this photo. It is a great piece of art. It shows the indomitable spirit of a man. Too bad this is Donald Trump and based on what I know about him, my appreciation of this art can be diminished.
There is a bit of irony in this incident. Donald Trump famously said during his 2016 presidential bid that even if he shot someone in the middle of Manhattan's Fifth Avenue, people would vote for him. During his presidency, he not only tolerated the growth of political violence by the alt-right and white nationalist groups but also called them "fine people" and even cheered for them from time to time. He opposed meaningful gun control measures, including an assault-style rifle ban, except to promulgate a ban on bump stocks (which was recently voided by the Supreme Court).
You might call this karma, or whatever goes around comes around, or getting a taste of his own medicine. Or, as Galatians 6:7 reads: "Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow" (NRSV).
This is a sad conclusion to the culture of political violence, incivility, and us-versus-them attitudes the Trump movement has cultivated for the past nine years.
In the best possible outcome, this incident should serve as a "wake-up" moment for Donald Trump, a transformative event that will change him as a man. Having come very close -- perhaps less than an inch -- to death, perhaps this will inspire an attitude of gratitude, a less selfish outlook, and maybe even empathy for people. But I may be overly optimistic.
In the coming days, this now iconic image of Trump will rally his supporters and perhaps convince the fence-sitters to vote for him. The photo projects strengths and that may be contrasted with the perceived feebleness of Joe Biden.
The incident may also renew the Republicans' calls for impeaching the Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, for the Secret Service's failure to protect their de facto leader, in addition to their allegations that Mayorkas failed to secure the southern border. If the impeachment is successful, it would reflect badly on Joe Biden (even if not, the impeachment hearing can make Biden look bad in the eyes of the moderate, undecided voters).
In addition, conspiracy theories, rumors, and insinuations will increase. Misinformation and disinformation will circulate through social media and perhaps Russia, China, and Iran may exploit this as an opportunity.
How did this country become so toxic?
Both Democrats and Republicans point fingers at each other and accuse the other party of trying to destroy the nation. Both parties campaign on the premise that voting for the "other guy" will lead to an existential crisis, the end of America, and the abolition of freedom. More and more Americans are voting against, not voting for.
Elections used to be an expression of the nation's hope and optimism. Now everyone is dreading November 5 as if it's the doomsday.
There are perhaps many reasons for this, including the roles media play, the social media algorithm, cultural bifurcation and polarization of American society, the erosion of the mediating institutions, the resulting politicization of our communities, and the death of civility and shared values.
But I see two things stand out that are causing and exacerbating this trend: (1) political parties, and (2) the first-past-the-post system of elections.
Political parties have outlived their usefulness. There are a lot of American voters who will choose candidates not based on their individual merits or characters but solely on whether there is a letter "R" or a letter "D" after their names. Because in an electoral democracy, low- and no-information voters often decide the outcomes of the elections, partisan affiliation functions as a de facto shortcut that aids voters in selecting candidates. The side effect of this is that both major political parties insist on ideological uniformity, often through the use of so-called ideological litmus tests. Those who fail that litmus test, on hot issues such as abortion, are ostracized as "RINOs" or "DINOs," which leads to more ideological uniformity within the parties, and eventually, drives them to more extreme directions shifting the Overton Windows farther apart from each other.
The other problem is the use of the first-past-the-post system in U.S. elections. In this system, any candidate who gets the largest number of votes will be the winner who takes all. Often this results in a situation in which one is elected by a minority of the voters (for example: the current Oregon governor, Tina Kotek, won by 47.0 percent over Christine Drazan and Betsy Johnson) -- and this only accounts for the voters who chose to cast a ballot in the given election. In the end, those who did not vote for the winner feel not heard, powerless, and frustrated. Ranked-choice voting with each constituency electing two winners would better represent the people and bring about a less polarized and less toxic environment in our politics. It also makes the roles of political parties a lot less important in elections.
Finally, we ought to pray for Donald Trump, as well as for Joe Biden.
Setting aside my political views and personal anxieties around the Trump movement, I see a man who is deeply wounded beyond anyone's imagination. It takes a lot of traumatic events, perhaps during his formative years, to distort one's psyche as exhibited by Donald Trump's behaviors and words. This is a man in need of profound inner healing. Yet, he perhaps can numb those pains by seeking clamors, money, adulation, and power.
And the Bible exhorts us to pray for the rulers -- and it was written at the time when their rulers were foreign colonial tyrants! Historically, the Anglicans offered their prayers for their sovereign during the Holy Eucharist service (and in the Episcopal Church, the prayer is offered to "our President, for the leaders of the nations, and for all in authority" or "those who bear the authority of government in this and every land, especially [insert the names of the president, the governor, the mayor, etc.]).
Even if the president (or the governor, or the mayor) isn't whom you voted for, even if you find their speech and political ideologies repugnant, still pray for them. It's better to pray that they would become the best leaders in the nation's history than to wish for their demise -- even if only for our own mental and spiritual health.
Prophet Jeremiah wrote this letter to forcibly displaced and relocated Israelites in Babylon, a foreign imperial power that oppressed and mistreated them: "But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare" (Jeremiah 29:7, NRSV). To put it another way, "In everything do to others as you would have them do to you, for this is the Law and the Prophets" (Matthew 7:12, NRSV). We certainly do not want "them" to wish us evil and pray for our deaths and destruction. Indeed, the same Gospel says elsewhere thus: "But I say to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:44, NRSV).
The story behind the powerful photo of Trump
How ranked-choice voting works
Pray for kings and all in high positions (John Piper - caution: Calvinist content)
Kids are not all right (Susan M. Shaw, Oregon State University professor)
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